Ashes of the Pheonix
by Raganas
Summary: Liana of Rarowri is determined to be a shang, no matter what her father says. She makes it in the end, but the greatest obsticle in her path is when her father and the king, thinking she went to the convent, bethrod her to... Prince Liam?
1. The Beginning

1.1 Chapter 1: The Beginning  
  
DISCLAIMER: The usual… nothing here belongs to me except for the characters that you don't recognise.  
  
"Father, I don't want to be a proper noble lady! Can't you at least let me be a knight if not a shang? Alanna the Lioness and Keladry of Mindelan have both been able to do it…" Liana of Rarowri complained yet again to her father, Lord Thian. It was her wish from small to become a shang, and she was six, the year when most people started training if they wanted to be a shang. Both she and her father had gone through this many times.  
  
"No, no and no again. How many times must I tell you Liana? The nation needs proper ladies. You must learn etiquette. YOU CANNOT BE A WARRIOR!!!" Lord Thian bellowed. Defeated, Liana slunk out of her father's room back to her own room. It just didn't seem fair! Why in the world did her mother, Lady Qalindra, have to marry such an old stick? (A/N: She thinks of her father as an old stick. Her mother doesn't.) On the way back, she bumped into her mother.  
  
"Oh sweetie, don't you realise that your father wants the best for you? He cares for you in his own way." Lady Qalindra sighed inwardly, seeing her daughter's sad face. Everyday Liana would ask, and every day Lord Thian would refuse. In actual fact, Liana showed great promise in the fighting arts. Without answering, Liana stormed past. Why oh why couldn't they let her learn shang? Watching her figure storm past, Lady Qalindra shook her head. It was just to bad that there was no chance for a shang warrior to pass by unless someone invited him… Why couldn't she do that? After all, she was the lady of the house. That very day, Lady Qalindra made up her mind. She would see to it that Liana managed to be a shang.  
  
The next day, Liana woke up to the sounds of birds chirping. It seemed like a wonderful day, the sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, and she would be turned down yet again. Sighing, she got out of bed and washed up. She decided to wear her favourite clothes, an extremely worn down pair of breaches and an equally tortured shirt. She had just left her room when her mother came walking by. "Liana, would you spare a moment? There's someone I want you to meet." Lady Qalindra asked. Liana nodded sullenly. It was probably another priestess or one of her mother's many friends. She turned down a corner and saw something else. A young lady was standing there, but instead of a beautiful dress that noble ladies wore, she wore a shirt and breaches.  
  
"Hello Liana!" she smiled. "Your mother has asked me to teach you. I'm the shang unicorn." 


	2. Journey Begins...

1 Chapter 2: Journey Begins…  
  
DISCLAIMER: The usual… nothing here belongs to me except for the characters that you don't recognize.  
  
Liana gaped, mouth wide open with shock. The Shang Unicorn! One of the highest ranking Shang's standing right in front of her! Lady Qalindra broke the silence. "Now you know why you should always keep good relations with other people." She smiled. Liana still stared. What about her going to convent? What would her father say? "Don't worry about your father, Liana. Everything has been worked out. I told him that you had finally agreed to go to convent, and will be leaving today." Lady Qalindra consoled Liana, guessing correctly what was going through her mind.  
  
"But I need to pack! What about…" Before Liana could finish speaking, a voice cut in to the desperate statement.  
  
"Everything has been settled. You will leave today, at noon. Your bags are packed and you may bring along one thing that you want. Please meet me at the courtyard. I will be with your horse." Said the Shang Unicorn. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Karin." With that, she smiled once more and walked off.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Go and get ready." Lady Qalindra turned to look at the retreating form of Liana, who had sped away at her mother's words. She shook her head, wondering what dangers awaited this happy, playful child.  
  
(Five minutes later…) Liana raced down the steps, jubilant and excited. She was going to be a Shang! She felt that she could shout for joy, like she could fly! "No need to get so excited! The journey to the school of Shang is a long and dangerous one, and the training is just as hard. Are you really sure you want to be a Shang?" Karin smiled to herself, thinking of the days when she herself had started on the journey to become a Shang. This child was like her, not giving a care to the dangers ahead. "Mount up! We start the journey to school now!" Liana looked overjoyed. Her face was wreathed with smiles. She scrambled up on her horse and started off. No matter how hard the way to becoming a Shang was, she was sure she could make it. Little did she know what was in store for her. 


	3. First Fight

1 Chapter 3: First Fight  
  
2  
  
3 Disclaimer: Again…? Fine. Nothing here belongs to me except the characters you don't recognise. NOW GET THIS INTO YOU HEAD!  
  
They had been riding together for an hour or two when Karin suddenly stopped her horse. "What's wrong?" asked Liana, puzzled by Karin stopping her horse. "I don't see anything amiss?" Karin stared straight ahead, as if she was listening for something.  
  
"Robbers. Robbers out to get whatever we have." Karin answered, when she finally spoke. "We have to fight. Do you have a we—" Karin stopped in mid-sentence, staring at the long dagger in Liana's hand. "Where did you get that?" she asked. The dagger was long and smooth, with a razor sharp blade. To Karin's trained eye, that dagger was actually a 'Bao Jian' (A/N: Chinese) or in English, those daggers/swords/weapons that will last forever, with an ultra durable blade. (A/N: Redwall supporters think Martin the warrior's sword.)  
  
"It's that one thing you said I could bring along. Mother gave it to me when I was three, OK? Now when can we fight?" (A/N: Imagine a three-year- old girl fighting against someone with a dagger. o_O!) Karin shook her head. She would have to ask Lady Qalindra where she had gotten hold of such a valuable dagger. Just then, thieves appeared in front of them. Karin forgot everything and rushed into the fray. Liana joined in, thanking her stars that she had trained Tranida (Her horse) to fight. Cutting down one man who was welding a dagger, Tranida kicked down another. A few more men, using daggers, closed in. Tranida kicked down another one, but there were too many. Then, Karin joined Tranida and Liana, fighting the rest of the thieves. In a few minutes, the thieves were all taken care off.  
  
"That's done, let's get going." Said Karin, motioning Liana away from the thieves. Liana looked back at the thieves lying on the ground. Most were disarmed and injured, but three had broken limbs. Liana shook her head. It was just too bad that these men had been injured. Self-defence or not, it was still wrong to hurt someone. Karin guessed what she was thinking. "It isn't right to hurt someone unless in self defence. If we didn't fight, those vermin would have stolen all our money and run away with it. I know this is your first fight, but in time, hopefully, you'll get used to it. Liana nodded, and turned away, to continue on her journey. Killing or hurting was wrong, but not if it was in self-defence. It still felt wrong, but that was the way of the warrior. Kill, or be killed. 


	4. Arrival at the School

Chapter 4: Arrival at the School  
  
1 Disclaimer: Again…? Really…? Fine. Nothing here belongs to me except the characters you don't recognise. NOW GET THIS INTO YOU HEAD!  
  
After an extremely long and otherwise uneventful ride, Karin and Liana finally reached the school. Liana was astounded. The building was huge! She had never seen anything this big, apart from her father's castle, and that was no small thing. She stared and stared and stared. Dismounting, Karin somehow managed to signal to Liana to do the same. A holster came to take the horses and Karin led Liana inside.  
  
Once inside, Liana could not stop staring. There were just so many things to see. Looking around, she let Karin steer her to a door labelled 'Registration'. Karin knocked thrice, and the door opened. Pulling Liana inside, she sat down in a chair. Liana finally took notice of her surroundings. She was in a small room, and there was a desk and chairs. There was also a cabinet, which was threatening to burst with all the files and folders within. Behind the desk was a young man who seemed to be writing something in a book. Karin smiled. "Have a seat, Liana," she said. The young man, hearing this, immediately looked up and put the book away. He looked startled.  
  
"Oh, hello! What can I do for you?" he asked. Karin smiled at him, (A/N: Karin smiles a lot, so be prepared!) stating that Liana needed to join the school. Hearing this, the young man took out one of many folders from the cabinet and wrote something down in it. Getting out a sheet of paper, he scribbled down something and handed it to Liana. Karin then said goodbye and took Liana outside. Looking at the paper, Liana *found* out that she was the 4838th student at the school, her bed and her locker were number 675, side by side in room 956. She would have to get a sponsor to show her around. Her day would start with one hour of drills in sword fighting, two hours of hand fighting, a half hour break, then another hour to staff fighting, two hours of studying, and an hour of dagger fighting, another hour of bow and arrow practice, a half hour break, an hour of spear fighting and last of all, two hours of horse back riding. She groaned. How was she supposed to keep up with this? Karin smiled. (Again)  
  
"Get used to the life! Make you way to your locker, put your belongings there, and get yourself to the mess hall where the rest are, find a sponsor, and familiarise your self with the place! Got to go!" With that, Karin disappeared. Liana looked around and groaned. 


	5. This isn't really a chapter...

This isn't really a chapter…  
  
(A/N: Ok, so there have been reviews 'bout things I haven't explained. Well, for starters, Lady Qalindra was actually in the Riders. She quit when she married Lord Thian. Liana wanted to be a shang ever since she was two. Her mother trained her in dagger fighting using the excuse that when she was grown up, she might have to defend herself. In other words, Liana has been learning how to use a dagger for four years. Yes, 'bao jian's' are made to last, if not last forever. Because Liana was very skilled, Lady Qalindra gave her the dagger.) 


	6. First Day

Chapter 5: First Day  
  
1 Disclaimer: Fine, fine. Tamora Pierce owns everything here, except for the characters you don't recognise. OK?  
  
Liana looked around. She was totally unsure of where to go and what to do. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned round and stared at the friendly looking boy behind her. "Hi, I'm Locke. Are you new here?" he asked. Liana nodded dumbly and showed him her paper. He studied it for a while. "Hmmm, room 956, bed 675. Hey, that's right next to mine! Why don't I show you there?" he said, steering Liana down a corridor and turning corners. Liana finally got her voice back.  
  
"Uh… are you a student here? Why don't you have lessons? Where is the mess hall?" Locke was bombarded with quite a lot of questions. He laughed, answering all her questions one by one.  
  
"I am a student here, I don't have lessons today 'cause my teachers let me off for practising well, the mess hall I can show you after you put your bag down, I don't know how long we have to stay here, and no, I don't know who your teachers are. All I can say is that hopefully you don't get Karin teaching you. She is the one with the highest expectations, being the Shang Unicorn, after all. And here we are!" He said, opening a door into a room with a lot of messy beds and one neat one. "The neat bed's yours. Get your bag down and we can go to the mess hall."  
  
Liana opened the locker by the bed, half throwing, half putting her bag inside. Her mind was slightly confused. Karin seemed to be nice, but she did seem a little demanding. And Locke, well, he was… nice. She headed over to him and he led her back through the winding maze of passages to a huge building where many people were sitting and eating. Locke headed to a table filled by some people and sat down, indicating Liana sit down as well.  
  
"Hey, Loc, I see you've got your self into the position of sponsor!" called a girl at the table. "Tell you what, why not introduce the kid to the rest of us?" she asked. Locke smiled.  
  
"Fine, you all. This is Liana, Liana, meet Nisha, Adian, Ziran and me you already know." Locke answered. Liana stared. How did he know her name? Suddenly she realised. He had found out from her slip of paper. As for him being a sponsor, well, he was better than no one. She spent the rest of the day being shown around and getting used to the place. When night came, she felt as if she had been in the school for ages. She sank into her bed, falling asleep without any thoughts of the next day. 


	7. Friends and Enemies

Chapter 5: Friends and Enemies  
  
1 Disclaimer: *tape recoding* Everything belongs to Tamora Pierce except for the characters you don't recognise. They belong to me. Don't copy. Beep beep beep.  
  
Liana groaned. Someone by the name of Locke had just emptied a whole jug of water on her. She sat up, staring at him. "What in the name of the mother did you have to do that for?" she asked, sleepily. Locke grinned, smiling cheerfully. He saw no reason to apologize.  
  
" Time to wake up! Get dressed, make your way down to your first lesson, I'm your sponsor, so I have to show you there." He smiled at Liana, who was struggling to pull a brush through her hair. She had slept the night in her clothes for the next day and did not have to change. "You might want to consider the fact that your hair will be as messy as when you end the day as when you start it, so don't get into that habit." He added. Liana stole a glance at him. He had not combed his hair at all. Not giving her time to reply, Locke dragged her to the class. With a parting "Have Fun!" he left.  
  
Liana looked round her class, surveying the scene. There were at least twenty students in the class, some of them as old as she was, and others a lot older. At the front of the class, there stood a young lady whom Liana identified as Karin. So she was teaching her sword fighting! Liana stood at the back. Karin spotted her anyway. Calling to Liana, Karin walked over to her and *dragged* her to the front of the class. "Class, I would like to introduce our newest member, Liana. I hope you'll help her as much as you help each other!" Karin called to the class, smiling. (A/N: () Liana blushed slightly. She hated being the centre of attraction, preferring to blend in with the crowd. Suddenly, she heard a voice.  
  
"Well, well, a little midget joining our class. I'm *sure* she will be such a wonderful student." Sneered an older student. Liana immediately looked up. The girl who had said this was a tall, lanky student, who tied her hair up in a short ponytail. She did not look good with it but obviously thought she did. At this moment she was looking down at Liana with extreme hatred. (A/N: think CSY acting posh. Giggle.) Karin immediately contradicted her.  
  
"Suyih, you might also considering improving your stance. Also, you were no hot shot when you first arrived. If you have nothing good to say to a person, don't say it." Karin almost shouted. Suyih looked down at Liana again. It was clear to her that she had made her first enemy.  
  
The rest of the drills in swords passed by quickly. It was then time for the two hours of hand fighting. Liana had just walked out of the class when she bumped into Suyih. Suyih stared down with so much distaste that it was clear to Liana that she would have to stay out of her way. Liana walked on quickly and bumped into another person, Locke. Looking at Suyih's back, Locke shook his head. He turned to Liana." Hand fighting next! Come on, I'm with you for this. Oh, and that girl you bumped into," He said, steering Liana to another place, "She's equivalent to a half decaying lump of rat meat. Ignore her." He finished as he led her into a huge open room.  
  
"Starters at the front." He smiled cheerfully as he left to talk with Ziran, who was also in the room. Liana made her way to the front of the class, and was standing right between a girl and a boy of the same age. The girl smiled cheerfully and began to talk.  
  
"Hi! My name's Gilinhu, 'cept everyone who knows me calls me Glin. What's your name?" She asked. Liana smiled and told Gilinhu her name. They seamed a lot like each other. Just then, the boy spoke up.  
  
"Look, I don't care who you are, but you mind being so kind as not to shout in my ear?" He asked in a very sarcastic tone. Gilinhu stuck out her tongue at him. "Also please refrain from looking at me like that. I don't fancy it, brat." As soon as those words were out from his tongue, Gilinhu and Liana jumped on him. Hard. He was down on the floor when a voice called out.  
  
"Gilinhu, Emekien and you. Please stop fighting unless I tell you to. Get off the floor." Boomed out a voice. It belonged to a tall man at the front of the class. Gilinhu whispered something to Liana. It sounded like 'teacher, shang panther' Liana got up, letting Emekien out. The man scrowled. "You will do what I tell you to and not do what I do not say." A voice came from the back of the class.  
  
"So we don't breathe just 'cause you didn't say so?" Liana identified it as Locke's. She half grinned. Gilinhu grinned as well. The Shang panther frowned.  
  
"Locke, I will see you after lessons. It may be quite some time before you have another free day." He half shouted, half scrowled. After that, the lesson continued as normal. Liana had some thoughts about the Shang panther, but apart from that, she just fought. It was evident that she now had two enemies. Suyih and the boy Emekien. At least there was Gilinhu. She seemed a jolly type. The class was over, and she left for the half hour break with Gilinhu. Locke winked at them and Gilinhu winked back.  
  
"My brother." She mentioned. Liana stared. No wonder Gilinhu was so loose tongued. She shook her head and went for break. The rest of the day, she just listened and learnt, thinking about the three new people she had met that day. Gilinhu, Suyih and Emekien. 


	8. Encounters

Chapter 6: Encounters  
  
Disclaimer: WHAT??! I still have to say this? Fine. *Monotone voice* Characters you don't recognize belong to me. Characters you recognize belong to Tamora Pierce. Don't try to copy.  
  
Liana woke up and groaned. Badly. Her whole body hurt from yesterday's fighting. Next to her, Locke stirred in his bed. Pulling himself up, he took one glance at her and (A/N: Guess what?) grinned at her. "Second real day's the hardest. Your so tired out from the first day that you get even more worn out. You get used to it after a while." Liana glared at him. Locke jumped out of bed and pulled her out, half steering, half dragging, her to the door. With a push, he sent her down the corridor to her first class. With a loud "Get Suyih for me!" He sent her on her way.  
  
Liana looked around her. Thankfully she remembered the way to the class. She walked there, reaching the class in time. Karin grinned at the class, making them groan. If Karin grinned, she definitely had something up her selves. She didn't keep them waiting. With a smile, she announced that they would be doing drills, drills and drills till the class was over. Liana was ready to complain. Looking at Suyih who had a sword in one hand, she decided against it. If that bitch of a person (A/N: Is she actually a person or a monster?) Suyih could do it then she could do better. Another hour passed and Liana felt as if she had been running round the whole school for two hours. Half dragging her self to the door, she met Suyih. Suyih sneered evilly. Liana ignored her, except for aiming a kick at her back. She bumped into Locke outside. Locke looked at Suyih. "I say, Liana, next time, kick her! Don't just aim, that's no fun. By the way, I take back what I said 'bout Suyih being half a decaying lump of rat meat. She's worse than that. She's a stinking lump of fully decayed, smelly blob of fungus on a decaying lump of rat meat. Now that sounds more like her!" By the time he finished saying that, they had arrived at the class.  
  
Liana entered. Locke had disappeared again, to talk with Ziran. Adian and Nisha were chatting together. Liana made her way to the front and found herself next to Emekien. Emekien took one look at her and groaned. "Well, if it isn't the brat with the big mouth. I wonder if you can even fight, let alone move." He sneered. Liana gritted her teeth and held her tongue. It was no use fighting back, as Emekien was stronger than her. At that moment, Gilinhu came at stood next to her. Smiling at Liana, Gilinhu was about to talk when the Shang Panther came in. For the whole lesson, he had somehow thought up a whole LECTURE about the stance of a fighting. (A/N: Lecture I can bear, but a whole TWO-HOUR LECTURE I cannot.) Liana nearly dropped asleep, sitting on the floor listening to the Shang Panther drone on and on. Emekien did drop asleep, and was punished by the Panther after the lesson was over. Liana giggled at him, frowning and getting a scolding.  
  
Finally, to her relief, came the half hour break. Liana made her way to the mess hall and flopped down in a chair, too tired out to do anything. She had no idea how she was supposed to actually make her way through the rest of the lessons. Gilinhu sat herself down next to her. "You know, you've just made enemies of the worst people in the school." She mentioned airily. "The decaying blob of fungus on a half decaying lump of rat meat just *happens* to be the best in archery and staff fighting. The other little fat blob of things is the best of our age in hand fighting. I can hold my own against it, but you had better be good in something." With this she left. Liana checked her timetable. And groaned. Next on the list of tortures was of all things, what she was terrible at. Staff fighting. Hoping that she would come out alive, she did come out, but not without bruises on her hands. Her teacher had matched her up with Emekien and it had all gone downhill from there. Still, she smiled to herself. A peek at Emekien's timetable showed that the boy was in the same dagger class as her. She would then be able to show her something… 


	9. A Very Special Day

Chapter 8: A Very Special Day  
  
Disclaimer: Things, places and characters you recognize all belong to the great goddess of Tortall, Tamora Pierce. Everything else belongs to me… Try to copy and DIE!!!  
  
(One year later) Liana got up and ready for the day at 5 a.m. She was used to the daily life of a Shang student now. Little did she know it, but she was one of the more proficient students, her main competitor being Emekien. They glared at each other every time they passed, and despite Locke's warnings to stay away from fights, a sizeable number of small disputes followed, the result being that Liana and Emekien kept training much harder than needed.  
  
Splashing her face with cold water, Liana grabbed her dagger from her bedside table and tiptoed to the practice courts, trying not to wake anyone else up as she made her way there. She was one of a few people who woke up at  
  
5 a.m. to train instead of the regular time of 6 a.m. (A/N: Have you ever tried to wake up at 5 a.m. in the morning? I have. Trust me, it is NOT a nice experience. I was on a camping trip, which was one night in the chalet and one night in a tent. The boys who were in the chalet were watching the World Cup and screaming till about 3 a.m. and highly audible. I only got about 2 hours of sleep. Did I mention that the toilet was stinky, slimy and often used? That meant no shower for two days. I wake up at 6 a.m. for school)  
  
As Liana neared her destination, she quickened her pace, wanting to get as much practice time as possible. Slipping into the courts, she was greeted by Ziran and Nisha, who also woke up early. Locke and Adian were both late sleepers, and could never bother to wake up early. She warmed up with some stretches and exercises. After that, she took out her dagger and performed a quick pattern dance before doing a longer and more complicated one. Her body had long since adjusted to the hours of work she put it to, and did not complain. She went on to practice with sword, staff and then to revise her work, which included the history of the country and places around, the teacher droning on and on nearly bored her to death.  
  
It was six. Liana put back her weapons onto the weapon racks except for her dagger, and rushed back to her room to put that back. Getting into her room, she kept her dagger and woke Locke up. He then woke the others in the dorm up. It was sort of like a chain reaction, but a very queer chain reaction it was. Soon enough, everyone was up and ready for the day. Locke walked Liana to her class as usual, and Liana remembered the goal she had made on her sixth birthday. She had wanted to be the greatest warrior ever. Thinking about it, she realized that in one year she had actually accomplished a lot.  
  
Today in class, Suyih was particularly annoying, complaining about a sprained wrist. Karin's scowl soon stopped her and sword practice continued as normal. The rest of the lessons were a blur until break, when Liana made her way to her room to rest for a while. She did not actually feel like eating that day.  
  
Her room was where her friends found her. Locke immediately plunked a package on her bed, and was soon followed by Nisha, Ziran, Karin, Adian and Gilinhu. She stared at them, surprised that they would remember her birthday. She had told them, but it was at least five months ago. Locke cut into the dramatic silence. "Well, what are you waiting for, just open them! I'm itching to know what Ziran put into his present, he wouldn't tell any of us!" Liana grinned at him, reaching for his package. Unwrapping it, she grinned at him. It was just like Locke to give someone a book for a present. Normally books were fine, but a book that was titled '101 Ways to Kill Your Worst Enemy' was just so Locke. Next, she got hold of Gilinhu's gift. It was a beautiful locket with a mirror inside. She smiled at Gilinhu appreciatively, and then took Adian's gift. Looking at it, she realised that she had actually needed one, but had managed quite well. After all, a hairbrush was a hairbrush. After that, the gift from Karin left her stunned. It was long and thin, and she wondered what it was. Unwrapping it, she stared. It was a beautiful sword, long and sharp. The sheath it was in was black leather and was of a very high quality. Instinctively, she clipped it onto her belt, and then remembered to say thank you. The mystery gift from Ziran came. She unwrapped it, wondering what it was. The shape of the package was small and oval, inside was a small, elongated red oval thing. She turned to Ziran.  
  
"What is it?" She asked him. Ziran took it from her. Opening it up, it turned out to be a beautiful assortment of knives and things. (A/N: Swiss army knife. They had them in those days.) She was overjoyed. It was beautiful! She toyed with it till break was over. It was so small that it fit in her pocket and she carried it with her for the rest of the day. Smiling, she thanked every one of them and went on to the rest of the lessons.  
  
At the end of the day, she collapsed into bed, tired but with the memory of one happy day that would stay with her forever. 


	10. Reflections and Dreams

Chapter 9: Reflections and Dreams  
  
Disclaimer: Yawn…same as last time… Zzzzzzzzzzz…  
  
(A week later) Liana woke up to a new day, which was not as up lifting as it sounds. The sky was over cast and thunder boomed. She wondered how she had slept through the storm that was currently in full glory. Wondering to the window, she sat and watched the lightning streak across the sky. It was somehow relaxing, listening to the rainfall, the thunder crash and boom and the lightning crack. She remembered her lessons about the lightning, that it could kill, or seriously harm a person and start fires. It was strangely beautiful. Beautiful and dangerous. Closing her eyes, Liana thought back to the past year.  
  
[Flashback] "Father, I don't want to be a proper noble lady! Can't you at least let me be a knight if not a shang? Alanna the Lioness and Keladry of Mindelan have both been able to do it…" Liana of Rarowri complained yet again to her father, Lord Thian. It was her wish from small to become a shang, and she was six, the year when most people started training if they wanted to be a shang. Both she and her father had gone through this many times. [End Flashback] Liana chuckled to herself. She was now well on the way to realizing this dream, and she would not have to shout so much at her father. Somewhere, deep down, she knew she loved him.  
  
[Flashback] A young lady was standing there, but instead of a beautiful dress that noble ladies wore, she wore a shirt and breaches. "Hello Liana!" she smiled. "Your mother has asked me to teach you. I'm the shang unicorn." [End Flashback] "Who knew mother was that sly…" Liana murmured to herself. She was not the only one who was remembering the past, however…  
  
Locke tossed and turned in his bed. He had not slept the whole night because of the storm. Settling down in a comfortable position, he closed his eyes and searched through his memories.  
  
[Flashback] A young boy, six at the very most, stood in front of his father, arms crossed, eyes angry. The Shang Lion had inspected the boys from the village, and he had chosen Locke to go with him to learn shang fighting. His father was angry. The oldest son in the family was supposed to take over the father's duties as he got older. If Locke left, who was left to look after the family? Locke's younger brother, still a baby? Even Locke, at his age, understood his father's anger. But even so, he did so want to be a Shang…[End Flashback] A tear fell from Locke's eye. He was glad that no one had seen it. After he had insisted on going, his father had… Locke shook his head. He didn't want to think about it. He wondered if his father still remembered him, or if his family had thrown all thoughts about him away. Searching some more, he found a happier thought.  
  
[Flashback] Locke looked around, stunned by the enormous building that was going to be his home for a long, long time. He was unsure about what to do. The Shang Lion had shown him around, and introduced him to some other new students. It looked as if the next few years were going to be actually bearable, if not fun…[End Flashback] Locke smiled. The next few years had indeed been fun, as well as entertaining.  
  
Liana smiled to herself. She wondered what she would do once she became a Shang. If she became a Shang, that is. The Shang's had told them that to become a Shang, they would have to go through some sort of ordeal, and there were people who had not passed it. Liana let her thoughts roam.  
  
[Begin Thought Flow] When I'm a Shang, I'll help the poor, I'll travel everywhere, helping people wherever I go. I'll gain respect and fame and popularity, and everyone will know my name! [End Thought Flow] Liana smiled to her self. She would realize her dream. She would.  
  
Locke changed position again. He didn't know how he would face his parents when the time came for him to go out into the world. Would his parents be happy to see him, or would they shun him, and cast him out? Locke tried to remember his family. The family of others would send them letters and often visit them at the school, like Liana's mother. They both looked so happy, so overjoyed… Too bad him and his father were too proud to apologize.  
  
Inside a hut, an old farmer tried to sleep. His thoughts kept wandering back to his long lost son, wandering what he was doing, wondering how he was coping, suddenly he shook his head. He didn't want to remember him. Not that son. That… person had run away, abandoning a family, but still, he was related… the old farmer shook his head. It wasn't right. He had shut out all thoughts after he disowned his son, why was he now remembering him?  
  
Lord Thian of Rarowri tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn't sleep, for some reason. He was thinking of his daughter, gone for a year now. He wondered if she had really consented to going to the convent, Liana was a strong-minded girl… He wondered if he had done right, denying her the privilege to be a warrior. After all, she had really wanted to be a Shang…  
  
Hi there! This is the author speaking… I need you all to help me out. Please do me a favor and think of how I should continue the story. If you are any good at writing, then could you please send me an e-mail at sara_ang1990@hotmail.com with the next chapter? Thanks! Oh, and if you are sending me an e-mail, do note that in the next chapter, Emekien gets expelled. I just need to know how. 


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